1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to a substrate processing apparatus, a substrate processing method, and a method for manufacturing a display panel through the use of the substrate processing apparatus. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a substrate cleaning/drying apparatus capable of improving yield by decreasing a substrate transferring time, a substrate processing apparatus comprising the substrate cleaning/drying apparatus, a substrate cleaning/drying method using the substrate cleaning/drying apparatus, and a method for manufacturing a display panel through the use of substrate cleaning/drying apparatus.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Generally, semiconductor devices, solar cells, and display devices are manufactured by several processing steps, whereby various facilities necessarily required for the respective processing steps should be maintained. In order to manufacture the semiconductor devices, solar cells, and display devices, there are the following necessary requirements: a large amount of cost, corresponding apparatuses for the facilities, a large space for maintenance of the facilities, etc.
Especially, a substrate cleaning/drying process for cleaning and drying a substrate (or semiconductor substrate) is necessarily carried out to remove remaining matters, particles, and contaminants made during the process of manufacturing the semiconductor devices, solar cells, and display devices.
A related art substrate cleaning/drying apparatus for the aforementioned substrate cleaning/drying process is formed in a dual-spaced structure with upper and lower parts.
In the lower part of the substrate cleaning/drying apparatus, there are a lower conveyor which conveys an externally-provided substrate in a horizontal direction; and a substrate processing unit which applies cleaning and drying processes to the conveyed substrate, wherein the substrate processing unit is installed on the lower conveyor.
In the upper part of the substrate cleaning/drying apparatus, there is an upper conveyor which unloads the substrate by conveying the substrate, which is cleaned and dried in the substrate processing unit, in the horizontal direction.
At one side of the lower and upper parts, there is a lift conveyor which moves upward and downward.
The lift conveyor conveys the substrate cleaned and dried in the lower part to the upper conveyor.
The related art substrate cleaning/drying apparatus conveys the substrate from the lower part to the upper part through the use of a lift conveyor. Such configuration may lower the yield corresponding to an amount of time consumed for moving up and down the lift conveyor. That is, in case of the related art substrate cleaning/drying apparatus, the substrate cleaning and drying process in the lower part has to be stopped until the lift conveyor is moved upward and moved back downward to its original position. Therefore, the yield is lowered due to a loss of tact time.
Meanwhile, a substrate processing apparatus for manufacturing the semiconductor devices, solar cells, and display devices may comprise a thin-film forming apparatus to form a predetermined thin film on the substrate which is treated by the aforementioned substrate cleaning/drying apparatus.
In the aforementioned substrate processing apparatus, the thin-film forming apparatus and the substrate cleaning/drying apparatus are installed separately. Thus, there may be an additional substrate conveying apparatus which loads the substrate treated by the aforementioned substrate cleaning/drying apparatus into a cassette, and then conveys the cassette to the thin-film forming apparatus.
However, the aforementioned substrate processing apparatus may cause the lowering of yield since the substrate conveying time is increased due to the aforementioned steps for loading the cleaned/dried substrate into the cassette, unloading the substrate from the cassette, and conveying the unloaded substrate to the thin-film forming apparatus. In addition, the substrate may be contaminated during the substrate conveying process.
Accordingly, the related art substrate cleaning/drying apparatus and the substrate processing apparatus comprising the same causes a lowering of the yield.